•Governor Monday Okpebholo
Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State has closed his case after presenting just one witness before the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal in Abuja.
The abrupt conclusion of his case came after his sole witness admitted to over-voting in the September 21, 2024, governorship election, reports Daily Trust.
The witness, Usman Majek, who served as a polling unit agent for the All Progressives Congress (APC), conceded under cross-examination that over-voting occurred in his polling unit.
He also confirmed that accreditation and voting took place simultaneously, a practice that contradicts electoral guidelines.
Majek further testified that he had lodged complaints with both the police and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) regarding the results he recorded and signed on the result sheet.
Following this testimony, Governor Okpebholo’s counsel, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), applied to close his case, a move that went unchallenged by the other parties in the case.
A three-member tribunal panel, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, subsequently closed the governor’s case and adjourned proceedings until tomorrow, Wednesday, February 12 for further hearing.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo, had filed the petition challenging the outcome of the election, naming the APC and Governor Okpebholo as respondents.
